Systems and methods of defering a transmission ofa message

ABSTRACT

Upon transmission of a first bit rate recommendation query message, a wireless device starts a timer. The wireless device defers transmission of a second bit rate recommendation query message until at least a certain amount of time has elapsed on the timer since the transmission of the first bit rate recommendation query message.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/473,646, which was filed on Jun. 26, 2019, which is anational stage application of PCT/SE2018/050084, which was filed Feb. 2,2018, and claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application 62/454,592,which was filed Feb. 3, 2017, the disclosures of each of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of communications,and in particular to deferring a transmission of a message.

BACKGROUND

In current Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long TermEvolution (LTE) standards specifications, there are prohibit timers usedto prohibit a User Equipment (UE) from sending certain messages toooften. This ensures that system capacity is protected and interferencedue to unnecessary or unwanted transmissions is kept low. One example ofa message that may be prevented from being sent too often is a MediumAccess Control (MAC) Control Element (CE). A MAC CE sends controlinformation between two entities in a communication link at the MAClayer. As shown in FIG. 11 , a MAC Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sub-headerfor a fixed-sized MAC CE consists of the four header fields Reserved(R), Reserved (R), Extension (E), and Logical Channel Identifier (LCID),with this sub-header also being referred by its fields as R/R/E/LCID. AnLCID defines the type of CE. Table 1 and Table 2 below show values usedfor 3GPP LTE Downlink Shared Channel (DL-SCH) and Uplink shared channel(UL-SCH).

TABLE 1 MAC Control Elements for DL-SCH Index LCID values Size01011-11010 Reserved for future needs N/A 11011 Activation/Deactivation1 11100 UE Contention Resolution Identity 6 11101 Timing Advance Command1 11110 DRX Command 0

TABLE 2 MAC Control Elements for UL-SCH Index LCID values Size01011-11000 Reserved for future needs N/A 11001 Extended Power HeadroomReport variable 11010 Power Headroom Report 1 11011 C-RNTI 2 11100Truncated BSR 1 11101 Short BSR 1 11110 Long BSR 3

The MAC control element itself is coded in the payload part of the MACPDU. Different sizes are used depending on the details of the particularcontrol. In the simplest case, the size is ‘0’ and the function isalready fully determined by the sub-header. The size of a MAC CE canalso be variable. An example of a MAC CE, which may have restrictions onthe interval for transmissions, is a UE query on recommended bit ratefor a particular LCID in an uplink or downlink direction (UL/DL), asdescribed in FIG. 12 . Another example of a message that may beprevented to be sent based on a prohibit timer is a Packet DataConvergence Protocol (PDCP) control PDU.

Control information may be sent between two entities in a communicationlink using a PDCP control PDU. Currently, a PDCP control PDU is used toconvey a PDCP status report indicating which PDCP Service Data Units(SDUs) are missing and which are not following a PDCP re-establishment,or header compression control information, e.g., interspersed RobustHeader Compression (ROHC) feedback. With reference to the example of thePDCP control PDU for ROHC feedback in FIG. 13 , the PDCP control PDU isidentified via the Data or Control (D/C) bit set to ‘1’ and the PDU Typebit field. Table 3 below shows values used for 3GPP control PDUs.

TABLE 3 PDCP control PDU types Bit Description 000 PDCP status report001 Interspersed ROHC feedback packet 010 LWA status report 011-111Reserved

In some scenarios, such as when the UE transmits MAC CEs to query theeNB regarding the recommended bit rate, the UE transmits the same orsimilar message multiple times even during a short period of time,resulting in wasted network resources and bandwidth. Accordingly, thereis a need for improved techniques for deferring a transmission of thesame or similar message. In addition, other desirable features andcharacteristics of the present disclosure will become apparent from thesubsequent detailed description and embodiments, taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying figures and the foregoing technical field andbackground.

The Background section of this document is provided to place embodimentsof the present disclosure in technological and operational context, toassist those of skill in the art in understanding their scope andutility. Unless explicitly identified as such, no statement herein isadmitted to be prior art merely by its inclusion in the Backgroundsection.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of the disclosure in orderto provide a basic understanding to those of skill in the art. Thissummary is not an extensive overview of the disclosure and is notintended to identify key/critical elements of embodiments of thedisclosure or to delineate the scope of the disclosure. The sole purposeof this summary is to present some concepts disclosed herein in asimplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that ispresented later.

According to one aspect, a method by a wireless device comprisesdeferring transmission of a first message for at least a certain timeperiod following transmission of a second message that is at least apartial copy of the first message.

According to another aspect, the step of deferring includes waiting togenerate the first message until at least the certain time period haspassed.

According to another aspect, the step of deferring includes determiningnot to transmit the first message.

According to another aspect, the step of determining not to transmit isresponsive to determining a change in a condition of the wirelessdevice.

According to another aspect, the step of determining not to transmit isresponsive to determining that the first message is no longerapplicable.

According to another aspect, the method includes determining whether thesecond message is at least a partial copy of the first message. Further,the step of deferring is responsive to determining that the secondmessage is at least a partial copy of the first message.

According to another aspect, the method includes transmitting the firstmessage after the certain time period.

According to another aspect, the method includes determining whether thefirst and second messages are either both associated with uplinktransmissions or both associated with downlink transmissions. Also, thestep of deferring is responsive to determining that the first and secondmessages are either both associated with uplink transmissions or bothassociated with downlink transmissions.

According to another aspect, the method includes running a timer toindicate an expiration after the certain time period responsive totransmitting the second message.

According to another aspect, the method includes transmitting the firstmessage responsive to determining that the timer indicates that thecertain time period has expired.

According to another aspect, the method includes running the timer toindicate an expiration after the certain time period responsive totransmitting the first message.

According to another aspect, the timer is selected based on whether thefirst and second messages are either both associated with uplinktransmissions or both associated with downlink transmissions.

According to another aspect, the timer is selected based on whether abit rate indicated by the first message is or is not meeting a certaincriteria of a logical channel that is associated with the first andsecond messages.

According to another aspect, the certain criteria is based on whetherthe bit rate indicated by the first message is different from a currentbit rate assigned to the logical channel.

According to another aspect, the timer is selected based on whether thefirst and second messages are associated with a same logical channel.

According to another aspect, the partial copy of the first messagerefers to at least one field of the message having a same value as acorresponding field in the second message.

According to another aspect, the partial copy of the first messagerefers to each of a combination of fields of the first message having asame value as corresponding fields in the second message.

According to another aspect, the partial copy of the first messagerefers to a certain field of the first message having a value that iswithin a predetermined threshold of a value of a corresponding field inthe second message.

According to another aspect, the method includes receiving, from anetwork node, an indication of the certain time period.

According to another aspect, the first and second messages areassociated with querying a network node about a recommended bit rate(RBR).

According to another aspect, the first and second messages are eitherboth associated with uplink transmissions or both associated withdownlink transmissions.

According to another aspect, the first and second messages areassociated with a same logical channel.

According to another aspect, the method includes determining whether thefirst and second messages are associated with a same logical channel. Inaddition, the step of deferring is responsive to determining that thefirst and second messages are associated with the same logical channel.

According to another aspect, the message is a control element (CE).

According to another aspect, the message is a medium access control(MAC) CE.

According to another aspect, the message is a control protocol data unit(PDU).

According to another aspect, the message is a packet data convergenceprotocol (PDCP) control PDU.

According to another aspect, the method includes determining whether atimer associated with deferring a transmission of the message on acertain uplink or downlink logical channel is configured and not runningfor that certain uplink or downlink logical channel. Further, the stepof transmitting the message on that certain uplink or downlink logicalchannel is responsive to determining that the timer is configured andnot running for that certain uplink or downlink logical channel.

According to one aspect, a wireless device is configured to defertransmission of a first message for at least a certain time periodfollowing transmission of a second message that is at least a partialcopy of the first message.

According to one aspect, a wireless device comprises at least oneprocessor and a memory. Further, the memory comprises instructionsexecutable by the at least one processor, whereby the wireless device isconfigured to defer transmission of a first message for at least acertain time period following transmission of a second message that isat least a partial copy of the first message.

According to one aspect, a wireless device comprises a deferring modulefor deferring transmission of a first message for at least a certaintime period following transmission of a second message that is at leasta partial copy of the first message.

According to one aspect, a computer program comprises instructionswhich, when executed on at least one processor of a wireless device,cause the at least one processor to defer transmission of a firstmessage for at least a certain time period following transmission of asecond message that is at least a partial copy of the first message.Further, a carrier may contain the computer program with the carrierbeing one of an electronic signal, optical signal, radio signal, orcomputer readable storage medium.

According to one aspect, a method by a wireless device comprisesdetermining whether a timer associated with deferring a transmission ofa message on a certain uplink or downlink logical channel is configuredand not running for that certain uplink or downlink logical channel.Further, the method includes transmitting, to a network node, themessage on that certain uplink or downlink logical channel responsive todetermining that the timer is configured and not running for thatcertain uplink or downlink logical channel.

According to another aspect, the method includes determining not totransmit the message responsive to determining that the timer isconfigured and running for that certain uplink or downlink logicalchannel.

According to another aspect, the method includes generating the messageresponsive to determining that the timer is configured and not runningfor that certain uplink or downlink logical channel.

According to another aspect, the method includes running the timerresponsive to determining that the timer is configured and not runningfor that certain uplink or downlink logical channel.

According to another aspect, the method includes determining whetherradio resources are allocated or not allocated for a transmission onthat certain uplink or downlink logical channel. Further, the step oftransmitting includes transmitting the message on the allocated radioresources responsive to determining that the radio resources areallocated for the transmission on that certain uplink or downlinklogical channel.

According to another aspect, the method includes generating the messageresponsive to determining that the radio resources are allocated for thetransmission on that certain uplink or downlink logical channel.

According to another aspect, the method includes running the timerresponsive to determining that the radio resources are allocated for thetransmission on that certain uplink or downlink logical channel.

According to another aspect, the method includes determining whetherallocated radio resources for a transmission on that certain uplink ordownlink logical channel can accommodate or not accommodate the message.Further, the step of transmitting is responsive to determining that theallocated radio resources accommodate the transmission of the message onthat certain uplink or downlink logical channel.

According to another aspect, the step of determining whether theallocated radio resources can accommodate or not accommodate the messageis based on logical channel prioritization.

According to another aspect, the method includes generating the messageresponsive to determining that the radio resources are allocated for thetransmission on that certain uplink or downlink logical channel.

According to another aspect, the method includes running the timerresponsive to determining that the radio resources are allocated for thetransmission on that certain uplink or downlink logical channel.

According to another aspect, the message is a MAC CE.

According to another aspect, the message is a recommended bit rate MACCE.

According to another aspect, the message is associated with querying anetwork node for an RBR.

According to another aspect, the timer is a bit rate query prohibittimer.

According to one aspect, a wireless device is configured to determinewhether a timer associated with deferring a transmission of a message ona certain uplink or downlink logical channel is configured and notrunning for that certain uplink or downlink logical channel. Further,the wireless device is configured to transmit, to a network node, themessage on that certain uplink or downlink logical channel responsive todetermining that the timer is configured and not running for thatcertain uplink or downlink logical channel.

According to one aspect, a wireless device comprises at least oneprocessor and a memory. Further, the memory comprises instructionsexecutable by the at least one processor, whereby the wireless device isconfigured to determine whether a timer associated with deferring atransmission of a message on a certain uplink or downlink logicalchannel is configured and not running for that certain uplink ordownlink logical channel. Also, the wireless device is configured totransmit, to a network node, the message on that certain uplink ordownlink logical channel responsive to determining that the timer isconfigured and not running for that certain uplink or downlink logicalchannel.

According to one aspect, a wireless device comprises a determiningmodule for determining whether a timer associated with deferring atransmission of a message on a certain uplink or downlink logicalchannel is configured and not running for that certain uplink ordownlink logical channel. Further, the wireless device includes atransmitting module for transmitting, to a network node, the message onthat certain uplink or downlink logical channel responsive todetermining that the timer is configured and not running for thatcertain uplink or downlink logical channel.

According to one aspect, a computer program comprises instructionswhich, when executed on at least one processor of a wireless device,cause the at least one processor to determine whether a timer associatedwith deferring a transmission of a message on a certain uplink ordownlink logical channel is configured and not running for that certainuplink or downlink logical channel. Also, the instructions cause the atleast one processor to transmit, to a network node, the message on thatcertain uplink or downlink logical channel responsive to determiningthat the timer is configured and not running for that certain uplink ordownlink logical channel. In addition, a carrier may contain thecomputer program with the carrier being one of an electronic signal,optical signal, radio signal, or computer readable storage medium.

According to one aspect, a UE is prohibited from transmitting a secondMAC CE a time T after the UE transmitted a first MAC CE, if the firstand second MAC CE are (at least partial) considered to be copies of eachother.

According to one aspect, a UE does not transmit copies of the same MACCE too frequently, while at the same time the UE is operable to transmita MAC CE two (or more) times during a short period of time if thepurpose and/or content of the MAC CE is different.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of thedisclosure are shown. However, this disclosure should not be construedas limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, theseembodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to thoseskilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a system for deferring atransmission of a message in accordance with various aspects asdescribed herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of a wireless device for deferring atransmission of a message in accordance with various aspects asdescribed herein.

FIGS. 3A-B illustrate embodiments of a wireless device in accordancewith various aspects as described herein.

FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of a method performed by a wirelessdevice for deferring a transmission of a message in accordance withvarious aspects as described herein.

FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of a method performed by awireless device for deferring a transmission of a message in accordancewith various aspects as described herein.

FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment of a wireless device in accordancewith various aspects as described herein.

FIG. 7 illustrates another embodiment of a method performed by awireless device for deferring a transmission of a message in accordancewith various aspects as described herein.

FIG. 8 illustrates another embodiment of a method performed by awireless device for deferring a transmission of a message in accordancewith various aspects as described herein.

FIG. 9 illustrates another embodiment of a method performed by awireless device for deferring a transmission of a message in accordancewith various aspects as described herein.

FIG. 10 illustrates another embodiment of a method performed by awireless device for deferring a transmission of a message in accordancewith various aspects as described herein.

FIG. 11 illustrates a MAC PDU sub-header for fixed sized MAC CEs.

FIG. 12 illustrates a MAC CE for a UE query on a recommended bit rate.

FIG. 13 illustrates a ROHC feedback control PDU.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For simplicity and illustrative purposes, the present disclosure isdescribed by referring mainly to an exemplary embodiment thereof. In thefollowing description, numerous specific details are set forth in orderto provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However,it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that thepresent disclosure may be practiced without limitation to these specificdetails. In this description, well known methods and structures have notbeen described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure the presentdisclosure.

This disclosure includes describing systems and methods for deferring atransmission of a message. In one example, a wireless device (e.g., UE)is prohibited from transmitting a second message (e.g., second MAC CE)up to a time (T) after the wireless device transmitted a first message(e.g., first MAC CE), if the first message is at least a partial copy ofthe second message. In another example, a wireless device defers thetransmission of the first message for at least a certain time periodfollowing the transmission of the second message that is at least apartial copy of the first message. In yet another example, a wirelessdevice transmits a message on a certain uplink or downlink logicalchannel responsive to determining that a timer associated with deferringa transmission of the message on that certain uplink or downlink logicalchannel is configured and not running for a transmission on that certainuplink or downlink logical channel. Advantages of the embodimentsdescribed herein include ensuring that a wireless device (e.g., UE) doesnot transmit copies of the same message (e.g., MAC CE) too frequentlywhile allowing the wireless device to transmit multiple messages duringa short time period if the purpose or content of these messages aredifferent.

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a system 100 for deferring atransmission of a message in accordance with various aspects asdescribed herein. In FIG. 1 , a wireless device 105 (e.g., UE) maytransmit a message 115 (indicated as a second message in FIG. 1 ) to anetwork node 101 (e.g., base station) having a coverage area 103. Thetransmission of the second message (e.g., MAC CE, PDCP control PDU, orthe like) is referenced by 109. The wireless device 105 may thendetermine that it has another message 113 (indicated as a first messagein FIG. 1 ) to transmit to the network node 101. Before transmitting thefirst message 113 (e.g., MAC CE, PDCP control PDU, or the like), thewireless device 105 may determine whether the first message 113 is atleast a partial copy of the second message 115. In one example, apartial copy may refer to at least one field of the first message 113having the same value as a corresponding field in the second message115. In another example, a partial copy may refer to each of acombination of fields of the first message 113 having the same value asthe corresponding fields in the second message 115. If the first message113 is at least a partial copy of the second message 115, then thewireless device 105 may defer transmitting the first message 113 for atleast a certain time period 111 following the transmission of the secondmessage 115. By deferring transmission of at least a partially redundantmessage, the wireless device 105 may reduce the signaling load on thenetwork node 101 as well as the processing time and resources of thenetwork node 101 used to receive and process such message. Further, thewireless device 105 may reduce its own processing time and resources bynot having to process and transmit at least partially redundantinformation too often, resulting in reduced power consumption and longerbattery life.

Furthermore, the wireless device 105 may determine not to transmit thefirst message 113 due, for instance, to a change in a condition of thewireless device 105 (e.g., handoff, call re-establishment, sleep mode,battery level, or the like) or determining that the first message 113 isno longer applicable (e.g., change in received signal strength, powerlevel, power headroom, timing advance, or the like). As previouslymentioned, during or after the certain time period 111, the wirelessdevice 105 may determine whether to transmit or not transmit the firstmessage 113. If the wireless device 105 determines to transmit the firstmessage 113, then the wireless device 105 may transmit the first messageto the network node 101 after the certain time period 111, which isreferenced by 107.

In another embodiment, the wireless device 105 may transmit the secondmessage 115 to the network node 101, as referenced by 109. In responseto transmitting the second message 115, the wireless device 105 mayconfigure a timer 106 to indicate an expiration after a certain periodof time 111. Further, the wireless device 105 may determine that thefirst message 113 is to be transmitted. Before transmitting the firstmessage 113, the wireless device 105 may determine whether the firstmessage 113 is at least a partial copy of the second message 115. If so,the wireless device 105 may defer transmission of the first message 113for at least the certain time period 111 following the transmission ofthe second message 115. During the certain time period 111 or after, thewireless device 105 may determine whether to transmit or not transmitthe first message 113. If the first message 113 is to be transmitted andthe timer 106 indicates that the certain period has expired, then thewireless device 105 may transmit the first message 113 to the networknode 101.

In another embodiment, the wireless device 105 determines whether thetimer 106 associated with deferring the transmission 107 of the firstmessage 113 on a certain uplink or downlink logical channel isconfigured and not running for that certain uplink or downlink logicalchannel. The wireless device 105 may determine whether radio resourcesare allocated or not allocated for that transmission 107. Further, thewireless device 105 may determine whether the allocated radio resourcesfor that transmission 107 can accommodate or not accommodate themessage. In response to at least one of (i) determining that the timer106 is configured and not running for that certain uplink/downlinklogical channel, (ii) determining that the radio resources are allocatedfor that transmission 107, and (iii) determining that the allocatedradio resources for that transmission 107 can accommodate the message113, the wireless device 105 may generate the first message 113 or mayrun the timer 106. And in further response, the wireless device 105transmits, to the network node 101, the message 113 on that certainuplink/downlink logical channel.

The network node 101 may be configured to support a wirelesscommunication system (e.g., LTE, LTE-NR, UMTS, GSM, or the like).Further, the network node 101 may be a base station (e.g., eNB), anaccess point, a wireless router, or the like. The network node 101 mayserve wireless devices such as wireless device 105. The wireless device105 may be a UE, a mobile station (MS), a terminal, a cellular phone, acellular handset, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, awireless phone, an organizer, a handheld computer, a desktop computer, alaptop computer, a tablet computer, a set-top box, a television, anappliance, a game device, a medical device, a display device, a meteringdevice, or the like.

FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of a wireless device 200 for deferringa transmission of a message in accordance with various aspects asdescribed herein. In FIG. 2 , the wireless device 200 may include atransmit defer circuit 201, a timer circuit 205, an uplink/downlinkdetermination circuit 207, a copy determination circuit 209, a radioresource determination circuit 211, a radio resource allocationdetermination circuit 213, a message generation circuit 215, atransmitter circuit 217, the like, or any combination thereof. Further,the transmit defer circuit 201 may include a transmit determinationcircuit 203. In one embodiment, the transmitter circuit 217 may beconfigured to transmit a second message. Further, the copy determinationcircuit 209 may be configured to determine whether the first message isat least a partial copy of the second message. The uplink/downlinkdetermination circuit 207 may be configured to determine whether thefirst and second messages are either both associated with uplinktransmissions or both associated with downlink transmissions. Thetransmit defer circuit 201 is configured to defer transmission of thefirst message for at least the certain time period followingtransmission of the second message that is at least a partial copy ofthe first message. Also, the transmit determination circuit 203 may beconfigured to determine whether to transmit or not transmit the firstmessage. Finally, the transmitter circuit 217 is configured to transmitthe first message after the certain time period following thetransmission of the second message.

In another embodiment, the transmitter circuit 217 may be configured totransmit the second message. Further, the transmitter circuit 217 isconfigured to transmit the first message after the certain time periodfollowing the transmission of the second message. Further, the timercircuit 205 may be configured to run a timer to indicate an expirationafter the certain time period responsive to transmitting the secondmessage. The copy determination circuit 209 may be configured todetermine whether the first message is at least a partial copy of thesecond message. The transmit defer circuit 201 is configured to defertransmission of the first message for at least the certain time periodfollowing the transmission of the second message that is at least apartial copy of the first message. Also, the transmit determinationcircuit 203 may be configured to determine whether to transmit or nottransmit the first message.

In another embodiment, the timer circuit 205 is configured to determinewhether the timer associated with deferring the transmission of themessage on the certain uplink/downlink logical channel is configured andnot running for that certain uplink/downlink logical channel. The radioresource determination circuit 211 may be configured to determinewhether radio resources are allocated or not allocated for atransmission on that certain uplink or downlink logical channel.Further, the radio resource allocation determination circuit 213 may beconfigured to determine whether the allocated radio resources for atransmission on that certain uplink or downlink logical channel canaccommodate or not accommodate the message. The message generationcircuit 215 may be configured to generate the message responsive todetermining that the timer of the timer circuit 205 is configured andnot running for that certain uplink/downlink logical channel. The timercircuit 205 may be further configured to run its timer responsive todetermining that the timer is configured and not running for thatcertain uplink/downlink logical channel. The transmit determinationcircuit 203 may be configured to determine not to transmit the messageresponsive to determining that the timer is configured and running forthat certain uplink/downlink logical channel. In addition, thetransmitter circuit 217 is configured to transmit the message on thatcertain uplink/downlink logical channel responsive to determining thatthe timer is configured and not running for that certain uplink/downlinklogical channel.

FIGS. 3A-B illustrate embodiments of a wireless device 300 a-b inaccordance with various aspects as described herein. In FIG. 3A, thewireless device 300 a includes processing circuitry 301 a andcommunication circuitry 305 a. The communication circuitry 305 a (e.g.,radio circuitry) is configured to transmit or receive information to orfrom one or more other nodes (e.g., via any communication technology).Such communication may occur via one or more antennas 307 a that areeither internal or external to the wireless device 300 a. The processingcircuitry 301 a is configured to perform processing described above,such as by executing instructions stored in memory 303 a. The processingcircuitry 301 a in this regard may implement certain functional means,units, or modules.

In FIG. 3B, the wireless device 300 b implements various functionalmeans, units, or modules (e.g., via the processing circuitry 301 a inFIG. 3A and/or via software code). In one embodiment, these functionalmeans, units, or modules (e.g., for implementing the methods describedherein) may include for instance: a transmitting unit 311 b fortransmitting a second message or transmitting a first message after acertain time period following the transmission of the second message, acopy determining unit 315 b for determining whether a first message isat least a partial copy of the second message, an uplink/downlinkdetermining unit 321 b for determining whether the first and secondmessages are either both associated with uplink transmissions or bothassociated with downlink transmissions, a transmit deferring unit 317 bfor deferring transmission of the first message for at least the certaintime period following transmission of the second message that is atleast a partial copy of the first message, and a transmit determiningunit 319 b for determining whether to transmit or not transmit the firstmessage.

In another embodiment, these functional means, units, or modules mayinclude for instance: the transmitting unit 311 b for transmitting asecond message or transmitting a first message after a certain timeperiod following the transmission of the second message, a timing module313 b for running a timer to indicate an expiration after a certain timeperiod responsive to transmitting the second message, the copydetermining unit 315 b for determining whether a first message is atleast a partial copy of the second message, the transmit deferring unit317 b for deferring transmission of the first message for at least thecertain time period following the transmission of the second messagethat is at least a partial copy of the first message, and the transmitdetermining unit 319 b for determining whether to transmit or nottransmit the first message.

In another embodiment, these functional means, units, or modules mayinclude for instance: the timing unit 313 b for determining whether atimer associated with deferring a transmission of a message on a certainuplink or downlink logical channel is configured and not running forthat certain uplink or downlink logical channel, a radio resourcedetermining unit 323 b for determining whether radio resources areallocated or not allocated for a transmission on that certain uplink ordownlink logical channel, a radio resource allocation determining unit325 b for determining whether the allocated radio resources for atransmission on that certain uplink or downlink logical channel canaccommodate or not accommodate the message, a message generating unit327 b for generating the message responsive to determining that thetimer is configured and not running for that certain uplink or downlinklogical channel, the transmit determining unit 319 b for determining notto transmit the message responsive to determining that the timer isconfigured and running for that certain uplink/downlink logical channel,and the transmitting unit 311 b for transmitting the message on thatcertain uplink/downlink logical channel responsive to determining thatthe timer is configured and not running for that certain uplink/downlinklogical channel.

FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of a method 400 performed by awireless device for deferring a transmission of a message in accordancewith various aspects as described herein. In FIG. 4 , the method 400 maystart, for instance, at block 401 where it may include transmitting asecond message. At block 403, the method 400 may include determiningwhether a first message is at least a partial copy of the secondmessage. The method 400 may further include determining whether thefirst and second messages are either both associated with uplinktransmissions or both associated with downlink transmissions, asrepresented by block 404. In response to determining that the firstmessage is at least a partial copy of the second message, the method 400includes deferring transmission of the first message for at least acertain time period following transmission of the second message, asrepresented by block 405. At block 407, the method 400 may includedetermining whether to transmit or not transmit the first message. Afterthe certain time period, the method 500 may include transmitting thefirst message, as represented by block 409.

FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of a method 500 performed by awireless device of deferring a transmission of a message in accordancewith various aspects as described herein. In FIG. 5 , the method 500 maystart, for instance, at block 501 where it may include transmitting asecond message. At block 503, the method 500 may include running a timerto indicate an expiration after a certain time period responsive totransmitting the second message. The method 500 may further includedetermining whether a first message is at least a partial copy of thesecond message, as represented by block 505. In response to determiningthat the first message is at least a partial copy of the second message,the method 500 includes deferring transmission of the first message forat least the certain time period following transmission of the secondmessage that is at least a partial copy of the first message, asrepresented by block 507. At block 509, the method 500 may includedetermining whether to transmit or not transmit the first message duringor after the certain time period. In response to determining to transmitthe first message after the certain time period and determining that thetimer indicates that the certain time period has expired, the method 500may include transmitting the first message, as represented by block 511.In response to transmitting the first message, the method 500 mayinclude running the timer to indicate an expiration after the certaintime period, as represented by block 513.

FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment of a wireless device in accordancewith various aspects as described herein. In some instances, thewireless device 600 may be referred as a user equipment (UE), a mobilestation (MS), a terminal, a cellular phone, a cellular handset, apersonal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a wireless phone, anorganizer, a handheld computer, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, atablet computer, a set-top box, a television, an appliance, a gamedevice, a medical device, a display device, a metering device, or someother like terminology. In other instances, the wireless device 600 maybe a set of hardware components. In FIG. 6 , the wireless device 600 maybe configured to include a processor 601 that is operatively coupled toan input/output interface 605, a radio frequency (RF) interface 609, anetwork connection interface 611, a memory 615 including a random accessmemory (RAM) 617, a read only memory (ROM) 619, a storage medium 631 orthe like, a communication subsystem 651, a power source 633, anothercomponent, or any combination thereof. The storage medium 631 mayinclude an operating system 633, an application program 635, data 637,or the like. Specific devices may utilize all of the components shown inFIG. 6 , or only a subset of the components, and levels of integrationmay vary from device to device. Further, specific devices may containmultiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors,memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc. For instance, acomputing device may be configured to include a processor and a memory.

In FIG. 6 , the processor 601 may be configured to process computerinstructions and data. The processor 601 may be configured as anysequential state machine operative to execute machine instructionsstored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory, such as oneor more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic,FPGA, ASIC, etc.); programmable logic together with appropriatefirmware; one or more stored-program, general-purpose processors, suchas a microprocessor or Digital Signal Processor (DSP), together withappropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, theprocessor 601 may include two computer processors. In one definition,data is information in a form suitable for use by a computer. It isimportant to note that a person having ordinary skill in the art willrecognize that the subject matter of this disclosure may be implementedusing various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

In the current embodiment, the input/output interface 605 may beconfigured to provide a communication interface to an input device,output device, or input and output device. The wireless device 600 maybe configured to use an output device via the input/output interface605. A person of ordinary skill will recognize that an output device mayuse the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, aUSB port may be used to provide input to and output from the wirelessdevice 600. The output device may be a speaker, a sound card, a videocard, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, asmartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. Thewireless device 600 may be configured to use an input device via theinput/output interface 605 to allow a user to capture information intothe wireless device 600. The input device may include a mouse, atrackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a presence-sensitive inputdevice, a display such as a presence-sensitive display, a scroll wheel,a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, a microphone, asensor, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive input devicemay include a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, amicrophone, a sensor, or the like to sense input from a user. Thepresence-sensitive input device may be combined with the display to forma presence-sensitive display. Further, the presence-sensitive inputdevice may be coupled to the processor. The sensor may be, for instance,an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, amagnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, another likesensor, or any combination thereof. For example, the input device may bean accelerometer, a magnetometer, a digital camera, a microphone, and anoptical sensor.

In FIG. 6 , the RF interface 609 may be configured to provide acommunication interface to RF components such as a transmitter, areceiver, and an antenna. The network connection interface 611 may beconfigured to provide a communication interface to a network 643 a. Thenetwork 643 a may encompass wired and wireless communication networkssuch as a local-area network (LAN), a wide-area network (WAN), acomputer network, a wireless network, a telecommunications network,another like network or any combination thereof. For example, thenetwork 643 a may be a Wi-Fi network. The network connection interface611 may be configured to include a receiver and a transmitter interfaceused to communicate with one or more other nodes over a communicationnetwork according to one or more communication protocols known in theart or that may be developed, such as Ethernet, TCP/IP, SONET, ATM, orthe like. The network connection interface 611 may implement receiverand transmitter functionality appropriate to the communication networklinks (e.g., optical, electrical, and the like). The transmitter andreceiver functions may share circuit components, software or firmware,or alternatively may be implemented separately.

In this embodiment, the RAM 617 may be configured to interface via thebus 603 to the processor 601 to provide storage or caching of data orcomputer instructions during the execution of software programs such asthe operating system, application programs, and device drivers. In oneexample, the wireless device 600 may include at least one hundred andtwenty-eight megabytes (128 Mbytes) of RAM. The ROM 619 may beconfigured to provide computer instructions or data to the processor601. For example, the ROM 619 may be configured to be invariantlow-level system code or data for basic system functions such as basicinput and output (I/O), startup, or reception of keystrokes from akeyboard that are stored in a non-volatile memory. The storage medium631 may be configured to include memory such as RAM, ROM, programmableread-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM),electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magneticdisks, optical disks, floppy disks, hard disks, removable cartridges,flash drives. In one example, the storage medium 631 may be configuredto include an operating system 633, an application program 635 such as aweb browser application, a widget or gadget engine or anotherapplication, and a data file 637.

In FIG. 6 , the processor 601 may be configured to communicate with anetwork 643 b using the communication subsystem 651. The network 643 aand the network 643 b may be the same network or networks or differentnetwork or networks. The communication subsystem 651 may be configuredto include one or more transceivers used to communicate with the network643 b. The one or more transceivers may be used to communicate with oneor more remote transceivers of another wireless device such as a basestation of a radio access network (RAN) according to one or morecommunication protocols known in the art or that may be developed, suchas IEEE 802.xx, CDMA, WCDMA, GSM, LTE, UTRAN, WiMax, or the like.

In another example, the communication subsystem 651 may be configured toinclude one or more transceivers used to communicate with one or moreremote transceivers of another wireless device such as user equipmentaccording to one or more communication protocols known in the art orthat may be developed, such as IEEE 802.xx, CDMA, WCDMA, GSM, LTE,UTRAN, WiMax, or the like. Each transceiver may include a transmitter653 or a receiver 655 to implement transmitter or receiverfunctionality, respectively, appropriate to the RAN links (e.g.,frequency allocations and the like). Further, the transmitter 653 andthe receiver 655 of each transceiver may share circuit components,software or firmware, or alternatively may be implemented separately.

In the current embodiment, the communication functions of thecommunication subsystem 651 may include data communication, voicecommunication, multimedia communication, short-range communications suchas Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communicationsuch as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine alocation, another like communication function, or any combinationthereof. For example, the communication subsystem 651 may includecellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, Bluetooth communication,and GPS communication. The network 643 b may encompass wired andwireless communication networks such as a local-area network (LAN), awide-area network (WAN), a computer network, a wireless network, atelecommunications network, another like network or any combinationthereof. For example, the network 643 b may be a cellular network, aWi-Fi network, and a near-field network. The power source 613 may beconfigured to provide an alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC)power to components of the wireless device 600.

In FIG. 6 , the storage medium 631 may be configured to include a numberof physical drive units, such as a redundant array of independent disks(RAID), a floppy disk drive, a flash memory, a USB flash drive, anexternal hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, ahigh-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, aninternal hard disk drive, a Blu-Ray optical disc drive, a holographicdigital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, an external mini-dualin-line memory module (DIMM) synchronous dynamic random access memory(SDRAM), an external micro-DIMM SDRAM, a smartcard memory such as asubscriber identity module or a removable user identity (SIM/RUIM)module, other memory, or any combination thereof. The storage medium 631may allow the wireless device 600 to access computer-executableinstructions, application programs or the like, stored on transitory ornon-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. Anarticle of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system maybe tangibly embodied in storage medium 631, which may comprise acomputer-readable medium.

The functionality of the methods described herein may be implemented inone of the components of the wireless device 600 or partitioned acrossmultiple components of the wireless device 600. Further, thefunctionality of the methods described herein may be implemented in anycombination of hardware, software, or firmware. In one example, thecommunication subsystem 651 may be configured to include any of thecomponents described herein. Further, the processor 601 may beconfigured to communicate with any of such components over the bus 603.In another example, any of such components may be represented by programinstructions stored in memory that when executed by the processor 601performs the corresponding functions described herein. In anotherexample, the functionality of any of such components may be partitionedbetween the processor 601 and the communication subsystem 651. Inanother example, the non-computative-intensive functions of any of suchcomponents may be implemented in software or firmware and thecomputative-intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

Additional Description

The UE is prohibited from transmitting a second MAC CE a time T afterthe UE transmitted a first MAC CE, if the first and second MAC CE are(at least partial) considered to be copies of each other.

This disclosure describes, among other things, that the UE does nottransmit copies of the same MAC CE too frequently, while at the sametime allow the UE to transmit a MAC CE two (or more) times during ashort period of time if the purpose and/or content of the MAC CE isdifferent.

In some scenarios, such as when the UE transmits MAC CEs to query theeNB regarding the recommended bit rate, it is desired that the UE isallowed to transmit the same message several times even during a shortperiod of time. This may be desired, for instance, if the UE requeststhe recommended bit rate for uplink transmissions on logical channel Xand requests the recommended bit rate for downlink on logical channel Y,with both requests occurring contemporaneously or over a short timeperiod. The UE is allowed to do so shortly after each other (orpotentially even at the same time). On the other hand, it may not bedesired that the UE requests the recommended bit rate for downlink onlogical channel Y too often.

It will herein be described how a UE will apply a prohibit timer with aduration (T) for a MAC CE used to query the eNB of a recommended bitrate. While the timer is running, the UE is prohibited from transmittingthe MAC CE. This timer is started or restarted upon transmission of theMAC CE and; hence, ensures that the UE does not transmit the MAC CE morefrequently than every time T.

However, it should be appreciated that the MAC CE for querying the eNBof the recommended bit rate is just an example type of MAC CE, and thisdisclosure could be applied to other MAC CEs.

It should be appreciated that the first and second MAC CEs may beinstances of the same MAC CE type.

Suppressing Copies of MAC CEs

In a first embodiment, the UE will suppress/delay/block (or in other waynot perform) a transmission of a second MAC CE during a prohibit timeperiod if a first MAC CE has been transmitted and the first and secondMAC CE are considered to be (at least partial) copies of each other.However, if the second MAC CE is not considered to be a copy of thefirst MAC CE, then the UE may transmit the MAC CE.

A prohibit time period may be considered a time (T) after the first MACCE was transmitted. This ensures that the UE does not transmit thesecond MAC CE too early after it has transmitted the first MAC CE. Thiscould be implemented by the UE using a timer which is started upontransmission of the first MAC CE, and the UE determines whether thetimer is running when deciding whether it is allowed to transmit thesecond MAC CE or not. The time (T) may be configurable by the network,preconfigured in the UE, provided in a standard specification, or thelike.

Conditions for Considering MAC CEs (Partial) Copies

In the above description, it has been described that the UE is notallowed to transmit copies or partial copies of a MAC CE. The followingdescription provides examples of conditions for considering the MAC CEsto be (partial) copies of each other.

One possible condition for two MAC CEs to be (partial) copies is that atleast one field is having the same value in the first and second MAC CE.For example, if two MAC CEs both indicate with a field that the UEqueries the eNB to provide the recommended bit rate for uplink, thenthey may be considered to be copies of each other.

Another possible condition for two MAC CEs to be (partial) copies ofeach other is that a combination of fields are the same. For example, afield A and a field B are set to value X and value Y in both the firstMAC CE and the second MAC CE.

Another possible condition for two MAC CEs to be (partial) copies ofeach other is that for a certain field of the MAC CEs, the value in thefirst MAC CE is less than a threshold different than the second MAC CE.This is beneficial to ensure that the UE does not transmit two MAC CEsclose in time after each other where a certain field is very similar.This may not be meaningful for the eNB to receive and hence prohibitingthe UE from sending this can save system capacity since the resourcescan be used for something else (which may be more meaningful), reduceinterference since less signals are transmitted, or the like.

In addition, any combination of the above conditions is possible. Thesecombinations may be combined with or-logic ensuring that two MAC CEs areconsidered (partial) copies if either a first condition or a secondcondition is fulfilled (e.g., that one field is the same in two MAC CEs,or that the value of a field is less than a threshold apart between thetwo MAC CEs). And-logic would also be possible where two MAC CEs wouldbe considered (partial) copies if one field is the same in two MAC CEs,and that the value of a field is less than a threshold apart between thetwo MAC CEs.

FIG. 7 illustrates another embodiment of a method performed by awireless device of deferring a transmission of a message in accordancewith various aspects as described herein. In FIG. 7 , the UE determineswhether a MAC CE is used to query the eNB about a recommended bit rate(RBR). The UE would with this behavior start different timers when ittransmits such a MAC CE and which timer the UE starts depends on whetherthe MAC CE was for uplink or for downlink. When the UE intends totransmit such MAC CE for either uplink or downlink, the UE would firstensure that the associated timer is not running. If the timer isrunning, the UE does not transmit the MAC CE. However, if the timer isnot running, the UE transmits the MAC CE and then starts the timer.

In FIG. 7 , the UE would consider two MAC CEs which both are forrequesting the RBR to be copies of each other if they are both foruplink, or if they are both for downlink, otherwise they are notconsidered copies of each other. For instance, the UE determines whetherit needs to transmit a MAC CE for querying the eNB about the recommendedbitrate (RBR) on the uplink or downlink, as referenced by block 701. Ifso, then the UE determines whether the MAC CE is for uplink or downlink,as referenced by block 703. The UE then determines whether a prohibittimer associated with the MAC CE of the RBR query for the respectiveuplink or downlink is running, as referenced by respective blocks 705a,b. If not, then the UE transmits the MAC CE of the RBR query for therespective uplink or downlink, as referenced by respective blocks 707a,b. Further, the UE starts a prohibit timer for the MAC CE of the RBRquery for the respective uplink or downlink, as referenced by respectiveblock 709 a,b.

In FIG. 8 , separate timers may be used for both the direction and thelogical channel. In FIG. 8 , a separate timer would be started if thequery is for a new direction (UL or DL) and logical channel (LCID). TheUE would consider two MAC CEs which both are for requesting the RBR tobe copies of each other if they are both for uplink, or if they are bothfor downlink, and they are for the same logical channel, otherwise theyare not considered copies of each other. For instance, the UE determineswhether it needs to transmit a MAC CE for querying the eNB about therecommended bitrate (RBR) on the uplink or downlink, as referenced byblock 801. If so, then the UE determines whether the MAC CE is foruplink or downlink, as referenced by block 803. The UE then determineswhether a prohibit timer associated with the MAC CE of the RBR query forthe respective uplink or downlink is running, as referenced byrespective blocks 805 a,b. If so, then the UE determines whether theprohibit timer for the MAC CE of the RBR query for the respective uplinkor downlink is running for a particular LCID, as referenced byrespective block 811 a,b. If not, then the UE transmits the MAC CE ofthe RBR query for the respective uplink or downlink, as referenced byrespective blocks 807 a,b. Further, the UE starts a prohibit timer forthe MAC CE of the RBR query for the respective uplink or downlink, andthe LCID, as referenced by respective block 809 a,b.

Separate timers may also be used for the direction, the logical channel,and constraints on the rate as outlined in FIG. 9 . In FIG. 9 , aseparate timer would be started if the query is for a new direction (ULor DL), a new logical channel (LCID), and a rate is different from agiven condition (in this case a higher bit rate). The UE would considertwo MAC CEs which both are for requesting the RBR to be copies of eachother if they are both for uplink, or if they are both for downlink,they are for the same logical channel, and the rate is not fulfillingthe condition. Otherwise, they are not considered copies of each other.In FIG. 9 , the condition that the rate was higher was used, but otherconditions may also be used (e.g., the rate is lower than the currentRBR or the rate is lower than the current RBR by a certain amount). Forinstance, the UE determines whether it needs to transmit a MAC CE forquerying the eNB about the recommended bitrate (RBR) on the uplink ordownlink, as referenced by block 901. If so, then the UE determineswhether the MAC CE is for uplink or downlink, as referenced by block903. The UE then determines whether a prohibit timer associated with theMAC CE of the RBR query for the respective uplink or downlink isrunning, as referenced by respective blocks 905 a,b. If so, then the UEdetermines whether the prohibit timer for the MAC CE of the RBR queryfor the respective uplink or downlink is running for a particular LCID,as referenced by respective block 911 a,b. If so, then the UE determineswhether the prohibit timer for the MAC CE of the RBR query for therespective uplink or downlink running for the particular LCID has ahigher RBR than that of the previously transmitted MAC CE of the RBRquery having the same LCID. If not, then the UE transmits the MAC CE ofthe RBR query for the respective uplink or downlink, as referenced byrespective blocks 907 a,b. Further, the UE starts a prohibit timer forthe MAC CE of the RBR query for the respective uplink or downlink, andthe LCID, as referenced by respective block 909 a,b.

In another embodiment, a bitRateQueryProhibitTimer may be configured tocontrol the query of bit rates. The UE is allowed to send a querymessage to the eNB only if bitRateQueryProhibitTimer is configured andnot running for the specific logical channel and uplink/downlinkdirection. A separate bitRateQueryProhibitTimer is started for each bitrate recommendation query message from the UE to the eNB for a specificlogical channel and uplink/downlink direction.

FIG. 10 illustrates another embodiment of a method 1000 performed by awireless device for deferring a transmission of a message in accordancewith various aspects as described herein. In FIG. 10 , the method 1000may start, for instance, at block 1001 where it includes determiningwhether a timer associated with deferring a transmission of a message ona certain uplink or downlink logical channel is configured and notrunning for that certain uplink or downlink logical channel. At block1003, the method 1000 may include determining whether radio resourcesare allocated or not allocated for a transmission on that certain uplinkor downlink logical channel. Further, the method 1000 may includedetermining whether the allocated radio resources for a transmission onthat certain uplink or downlink logical channel can accommodate or notaccommodate the message, as represented by block 1005. At block 1007,the method 1000 may include generating the message responsive todetermining that the timer is configured and not running for thatcertain uplink or downlink logical channel. At block 1009, the method1000 may include running the timer responsive to determining that thetimer is configured and not running for that certain uplink or downlinklogical channel. At block 1011, the method 1000 may include determiningnot to transmit the message responsive to determining that the timer isconfigured and running for that certain uplink or downlink logicalchannel. At block 1013, the method 1000 includes transmitting, to thenetwork node, the message on that certain uplink/downlink logicalchannel responsive to determining that the timer is configured and notrunning for that certain uplink or downlink logical channel.

ABBREVIATIONS Abbreviation Explanation 3GPP 3rd Generation PartnershipProject BS Base Station CE Control Element CP Cyclic Prefix CRC CyclicRedundancy Check CRS Cell Specific Reference Signal CSI Channel StateInformation CSS Common Search Space DL Downlink eNB Evolved Node B(i.e., base station) E-UTRA Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio AccessE-UTRAN Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network DFT DiscreteFourier Transform FDD Frequency Division Duplex IFFT Inverse FastFourier Transform IoT Internet of Things LTE Long Term Evolution MACMedium Access Control MIMO Multiple Input Multiple Output MSRMulti-Standard Radio MTC Machine-Type Communication NB Narrow-BandNB-IoT Narrow-Band Internet of Things NB-LTE Narrow-Band LTE (e.g., 180KHz bandwidth) NB-PBCH NB-IoT Physical Broadcast Channel NB-PSS NB-IoTPrimary Synchronization Sequence NB-SSS NB-IoT Secondary SynchronizationSequence OFDM Orthogonal Frequency Division Modulation OFDMA OrthogonalFrequency Division Modulation Access PA Power Amplifier PAPRPeak-to-Average Power Ratio PBCH Physical Broadcast Channel PDCCHPhysical Data Control Channel PDCP Packet Data Convergence Protocol(PDCP) PDU Protocol Data Unit PRACH Physical Random Access Channel PRBPhysical Resource Block PSD Power Spectral Density PSS PrimarySynchronization Sequence PUSCH Physical Uplink Shared Channel RACHRandom Access Channel RAT Radio Access Technology RBR Recommended BitRate RF Radio Frequency RRC Radio Resource Control SoC System-on-a-ChipSC-FDMA Single-Carrier, Frequency Division Multiple Access SFBC SpaceFrequency Block Coding SIB System Information Block SIM SubscriberIdentity Module or Subscriber Identification Module SNR Signal to NoiseRatio SRS Sounding Reference Signal SSS Secondary SynchronizationSequence TDD Time Division Duplex Tx Transmitter UE User Equipment ULUplink USS UE-specific Search Space WB-LTE Wideband LTE (i.e.,corresponds to legacy LTE) ZC Zadoff-Chu algorithm

The various aspects described herein may be implemented using standardprogramming or engineering techniques to produce software, firmware,hardware (e.g., circuits), or any combination thereof to control acomputing device to implement the disclosed subject matter. It will beappreciated that some embodiments may be comprised of one or moregeneric or specialized processors such as microprocessors, digitalsignal processors, customized processors and field programmable gatearrays (FPGAs) and unique stored program instructions (including bothsoftware and firmware) that control the one or more processors toimplement, in conjunction with certain non-processor circuits, some,most, or all of the functions of the methods, devices and systemsdescribed herein. Alternatively, some or all functions could beimplemented by a state machine that has no stored program instructions,or in one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), inwhich each function or some combinations of certain of the functions areimplemented as custom logic circuits. Of course, a combination of thetwo approaches may be used. Further, it is expected that one of ordinaryskill, notwithstanding possibly significant effort and many designchoices motivated by, for example, available time, current technology,and economic considerations, when guided by the concepts and principlesdisclosed herein will be readily capable of generating such softwareinstructions and programs and ICs with minimal experimentation.

The term “article of manufacture” as used herein is intended toencompass a computer program accessible from any computing device,carrier, or media. For example, a computer-readable medium may include:a magnetic storage device such as a hard disk, a floppy disk or amagnetic strip; an optical disk such as a compact disk (CD) or digitalversatile disk (DVD); a smart card; and a flash memory device such as acard, stick or key drive. Additionally, it should be appreciated that acarrier wave may be employed to carry computer-readable electronic dataincluding those used in transmitting and receiving electronic data suchas electronic mail (e-mail) or in accessing a computer network such asthe Internet or a local area network (LAN). Of course, a person ofordinary skill in the art will recognize many modifications may be madeto this configuration without departing from the scope or spirit of thesubject matter of this disclosure.

Throughout the specification and the embodiments, the following termstake at least the meanings explicitly associated herein, unless thecontext clearly dictates otherwise. Relational terms such as “first” and“second,” and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity oraction from another entity or action without necessarily requiring orimplying any actual such relationship or order between such entities oractions. The term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” unlessspecified otherwise or clear from the context to be directed to anexclusive form. Further, the terms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended tomean one or more unless specified otherwise or clear from the context tobe directed to a singular form. The term “include” and its various formsare intended to mean including but not limited to. References to “oneembodiment,” “an embodiment,” “example embodiment,” “variousembodiments,” and other like terms indicate that the embodiments of thedisclosed technology so described may include a particular function,feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodimentnecessarily includes the particular function, feature, structure, orcharacteristic. Further, repeated use of the phrase “in one embodiment”does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although it may. Theterms “substantially,” “essentially,” “approximately,” “about” or anyother version thereof, are defined as being close to as understood byone of ordinary skill in the art, and in one non-limiting embodiment theterm is defined to be within 10%, in another embodiment within 5%, inanother embodiment within 1% and in another embodiment within 0.5%. Adevice or structure that is “configured” in a certain way is configuredin at least that way, but may also be configured in ways that are notlisted.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method by a wireless device, comprising:transmitting a first bit rate recommendation query message; starting atimer upon the transmission of the first bit rate recommendation querymessage; and deferring transmission of a second bit rate recommendationquery message until at least a certain amount of time has elapsed on thetimer since the transmission of the first bit rate recommendation querymessage.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the deferring comprisesdetermining not to transmit the second bit rate recommendation querymessage responsive to determining a change in a condition of thewireless device and/or that the second bit rate recommendation querymessage is no longer applicable.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein thedeferring is responsive to determining that the second bit raterecommendation query message is at least a partial copy of the first bitrate recommendation query message.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein thedeferring is responsive to determining that the first and second bitrate query recommendation messages are either both associated withuplink transmissions or both associated with downlink transmissions. 5.The method of claim 4, further comprising starting the timer upontransmission of each of the first and second bit rate recommendationquery messages, the timer being configured to trigger transmission of anexpiration notification message upon expiration of the certain timeperiod.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the timer is selected based onwhether the first and second bit rate recommendation query messages areeither both associated with uplink transmissions or both associated withdownlink transmissions.
 7. The method of claim 5, wherein the timer isselected based on whether a bit rate indicated by the second bit raterecommendation query message is or is not meeting a certain criteria ofa logical channel that is associated with the first and second bit raterecommendation query messages.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein thecertain criteria is based on whether the bit rate indicated by thesecond bit rate recommendation query message is different from a currentbit rate assigned to the logical channel.
 9. The method of claim 5,wherein the timer is selected based on whether the first and second bitrate recommendation query messages are associated with a same logicalchannel.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second bit raterecommendation query message is at least a partial copy of the first bitrate recommendation query message.
 11. The method of claim 1, whereinthe deferring is responsive to determining that the first and second bitrate recommendation query messages are associated with the same logicalchannel.
 12. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting thesecond bit rate recommendation query message on a certain uplink ordownlink logical channel associated with the timer responsive todetermining that the timer is configured and not running for thatcertain uplink or downlink logical channel.
 13. A wireless device,comprising: processing circuitry; memory containing instructionsexecutable by the processing circuitry whereby the wireless device isoperative to: transmit a first bit rate recommendation query message;start a timer upon the transmission of the first bit rate recommendationquery message; and defer transmission of a second bit raterecommendation query message until at least a certain amount of time haselapsed on the timer since the transmission of the first bit raterecommendation query message.
 14. The wireless device of claim 13,wherein the deferring includes determining not to transmit the secondbit rate recommendation query message responsive to determining a changein a condition of the wireless device and/or that the second bit raterecommendation query message is no longer applicable.
 15. The wirelessdevice of claim 13, wherein the deferring is responsive to determiningthat the second bit rate recommendation query message is at least apartial copy of the first bit rate recommendation query message.
 16. Thewireless device of claim 13, wherein the deferring is responsive todetermining that the first and second bit rate query recommendationmessages are either both associated with uplink transmissions or bothassociated with downlink transmissions.
 17. The wireless device of claim16, further comprising starting the timer upon transmission of each ofthe first and second bit rate recommendation query messages, the timerbeing configured to trigger transmission of an expiration notificationmessage upon expiration of the certain time period.
 18. The wirelessdevice of claim 13, wherein the second bit rate recommendation querymessage is at least a partial copy of the first bit rate recommendationquery message.
 19. The wireless device of claim 13, wherein thedeferring is responsive to determining that the first and second bitrate recommendation query messages are associated with the same logicalchannel.
 20. The wireless device of claim 13, further comprisingtransmitting the second bit rate recommendation query message on acertain uplink or downlink logical channel associated with the timerresponsive to determining that the timer is configured and not runningfor that certain uplink or downlink logical channel.
 21. Anon-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer programproduct for controlling a wireless device, the computer program productcomprising software instructions that, when run on the wireless device,cause the wireless device to: transmit a first bit rate recommendationquery message; start a timer upon the transmission of the first bit raterecommendation query message; and defer transmission of a second bitrate recommendation query message until at least a certain amount oftime has elapsed on the timer since the transmission of the first bitrate recommendation query message.